Get Off Our Planethttp://getoffourplanet.com
Fri, 09 Mar 2018 17:57:17 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1Recycling and Litteringhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8100
http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8100#commentsFri, 09 Mar 2018 17:57:17 +0000Murrayhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8100I spend my work days in a large city and assist in the day to day facilities management of many commercial properties. These areas attract many different types of people from all over. What I experience on a daily basis gives a good representation of our average citizens. One thing that I keep being reminded of is how poor of a job our society must be doing in teaching its youth to recycle and not litter. This is getting progressively more important as the Earth’s human population grows and we put more stress on the environment with our pollution and demand for resources.

If you spend a lot of time outside, whether it is for work or recreation, it’s easy to see how trashy and wasteful the human race is. If it wasn’t for conscientious people (and the occasional blast of wind displacing irresponsibly discarded trash), we’d all be up to our necks in garbage. At what point does the amount of litter trigger a sensation of dislike in the average litterer? Until that point is surpassed it is obvious that such people are either inexcusably unaware or repugnant in their lack of caring. Is the difference in those who value the beauty of the land and health of the environment compared to those recklessly contributing to the trashing of the Earth something you are born with? Even if that is the case, influences -especially in the formative years- go a long way in molding people. How many parents are driving home the message to their children to not litter, recycle as much as possible, and demand that they be considerate of others and caretakers of the environment? How many teachers and school curriculum do that? Why not? How much does global human population have to increase for that to happen? The more people there are the more need for resources. The pollution and destruction from extracting resources, refining and manufacturing is expensive and harmful to the environment. Who wants things to get crappier, more difficult, and more expensive? It’s simple math, folks.

]]>http://getoffourplanet.com/?feed=rss2&p=81000A Very Popular Presidenthttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8428
http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8428#commentsMon, 26 Feb 2018 16:52:19 +0000Murrayhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8428Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Trump a “f—king moron,”

National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster calls Trump a “dope.”

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus both refer to him as an “idiot.”

Rupert Murdoch says Trump is a “f—king idiot.”

Trump’s chief economic adviser Gary Cohn describes Trump as “dumb as sh-t,” explaining that “Trump won’t read anything — not one-page memos, not the brief policy papers; nothing. He gets up halfway through meetings with world leaders because he is bored.”

A Trump campaign aide trying to educate him about the Constitution, said he had a hard time focusing, “I got as far as the Fourth Amendment before his finger is pulling down on his lip and his eyes are rolling back in his head.”

Trump doesn’t think he’s stupid.
“Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.”
“I went to an Ivy League college . . . I did very well. I’m a very intelligent person.”

One of his professors at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and Finance purportedly said that he was “the dumbest goddamn student I ever had.”

Haha. I’ll skip adding a bunch of quotes from millions of average citizens.

Even if every one of these examples is not entirely accurate, the amount of evidence sure is damning.

Any business that cannot pay such a wage based on the location’s cost of living shouldn’t be in business. And I’m not even factoring in having any sort of life. If all I was able to do is work, eat, sleep, and repeat every day, I’d rather not be alive. The current U.S. minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Unless you are a teenager living at home, you cannot live off that. Maybe it’s acceptable to have such a minimum wage for people under the age of 18, but not for working adults that are trying to survive. Even $10 an hour in a place like Denver wouldn’t give you the money needed to survive without working more than 40 hours a week or having the help of a roommate or family member. You could probably do it with $15 an hour, but you wouldn’t have much of a life. If fast food businesses (for example) couldn’t make a profit paying that kind of wage then they need to increase the price of their food. It’s as simple as that. If someone doesn’t want to pay the increase for what is arguably not the healthiest food then that is a good thing. You should pay for quality and not be enticed with cheap garbage, no matter what the product is. Cheap goods should probably be made by robots anyway, just like most junk food in factories is made. (For the record, many fast food businesses pay starting wages that are higher than minimum wage, and in some cases higher than specific positions in other industries.)

Any respectable businesses and good employers should value quality over quantity. You get what you pay for, and since the collective business community is not voluntarily making the Federally mandated minimum wage obsolete by paying living wages, the government needs to step in and raise it for them. If they need to put it on a scale to allow lower wages for younger than adult workers, then so be it, but anyone who is an adult with adult responsibilities should have the ability to make a living wage and pay for their lives without the help of others. You simply cannot do that with our ridiculously low minimum wage, no matter what anyone’s twisted perspective and greedy biases tell you. There are people who say that it would put some businesses out of business. Well, if you have to raise prices for your products or services to pay for the increase then that is what you have to do. It would affect all businesses, so you don’t have to worry about competition in that regard. It would still be capitalism, and if what your company is offering is not in demand, then you shouldn’t be in business. All the current minimum wage does is create a slave working class that is ultimately reliant on the government or a drain on society. Ironically most conservatives and business owners don’t like the idea of people living off of others anyway. Just like they don’t want high taxes so people have more money to spend and increase economic growth. They want people to have less taxes but they don’t want people to have higher wages. Go figure. At the end of the day it’s all the same thing: Money. This country runs on it. Taxes actually pay for services society uses. If you aren’t making squat for a living wage, then you don’t have money to contribute to economic growth. You stay poor and risk creating a cycle of disparity generation after generation.

]]>http://getoffourplanet.com/?feed=rss2&p=83910Sunrises & Sunsetshttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8363
http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8363#commentsMon, 01 Jan 2018 05:08:02 +0000Murrayhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8363As we say good riddance to 2017 and enter into the unknowns of 2018, here is a reflection of some of the beauty of the beginnings and ends of each day. (All photos taken by my wife Rhiannon Archuleta at our home in the mountains, save for the last four taken by me in the city.)

]]>http://getoffourplanet.com/?feed=rss2&p=83630The Complex Threats of the North Korea Situationhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8300
http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8300#commentsWed, 08 Nov 2017 17:52:29 +0000Murrayhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8300North Korea is not going to launch a nuclear weapon at anyone without being provoked and feeling certain that their regime’s livelihood is threatened. So why is the U.S. government (primarily President Trump) provoking them? Since when is war and the ensuing violence and massive casualties preferable to peace, even if it is an uncomfortable peace?

While in a cold war with the Soviet Union the U.S. was not foolish enough to fight with them directly. Instead we got involved in the fight against communism with countries like Korea and Vietnam. Why have relations with Vietnam greatly improved since the mid-1970s and things have become progressively worse with North Korea 60+ years after the original conflict? No war with North Korea would be worth the casualties and environmental damage -which could also be said about the modern day insanity behind any war. With a unified international pressure (especially from China) the North and its regime will collapse from within on its own and be forced to compromise if they want their society to survive in any form.

Unfortunately, having allowed North Korea to get to this level of military threat in the first place is a tragic international failure. Now, in many ways, it’s too late. Either the 25 million North Koreans are going to suffer terribly in the coming years, or millions more in the region will experience catastrophic casualties and destruction, including potentially hundreds of thousands of military lives. What the unfit to serve President Trump has been doing is exactly how not to handle this monumentally delicate situation. Thankfully our far more wiser, informed and skilled military leaders know the true costs of military intervention. We can only hope that their influence is enough to keep matters from getting worse for us and the entire region.

]]>http://getoffourplanet.com/?feed=rss2&p=83000Election Day 2017http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8336
http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8336#commentsWed, 08 Nov 2017 05:26:25 +0000Murrayhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8336Unfortunately this is an off year for elections, with substantially less news and things at stake than mid-term or presidential elections, but it still is a good time to re-evaluate where our society stands and contemplate what has happened over the last year.

Regardless of anyone’s polarizing political opinions, it’s important to remember that despite Hillary Clinton’s warranted unpopularity, she still won the Presidential vote in the last election. The piece of crap dumpster fire that is now in office was simply a worse case scenario in a dysfunctional political system in great need of reform. If Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders had been running in place of Clinton none of this would have happened. Sure, we have been reminded that a disappointing percentage of the U.S. populace still supports the fear, ignorance, racism, and sexism that Trump represents, it still wouldn’t be enough to win the electoral vote if the election was held again today, thanks to Trump’s complete failure as a leader and human being now revealed in the harsh light of public office.

Assuming Trump continues to stay in office for his entire term (and that is far from certain) he will almost certainly be severely rebuked on every election day of each of his four years. Progressives will slowly start reclaiming lost ground until they have a majority, and any chances for a Trump second term will be dashed in embarrassing fashion, almost regardless of who runs against him. Only time will tell, but in the meantime respect for this country continues to fall, faith dwindles, and hope fades. Some things feel irreparably damaged.

There are certainly things about the current Democratic Party that are not to like, however, if you vote for the Republican Party as it exists right now, you are voting for more environmental damage, and ultimately worse health and a deteriorated way of life in the long run. You can choose to be ignorant, but science, history, and the voting record is not debatable. If you want more options at the voting booth, get rid of this godforsaken two-party in power system. You cannot escape environmental or historical reality. Ignoring it for a blind idolization of money and all those freedoms to be an asshole that you are enjoying is only mortgaging your family’s future.

]]>http://getoffourplanet.com/?feed=rss2&p=83360Kneeling During The National Anthem -A Perspective, A Rant, An Open Letterhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8199
http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8199#commentsFri, 13 Oct 2017 15:20:07 +0000Murrayhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8199Those people who are bitching about athletes kneeling during the National Anthem don’t give a damn about their reasons. Though I wouldn’t have the balls to kneel during the Anthem, I sympathize with those athletes. I’m extremely disappointed in my country right now and my fellow humans in general. To hell with anyone telling me and others like me to leave if I don’t like it. This is just as much my country as any other citizen and I have every right and the freedom to complain about the bullshit I see around me. I couldn’t leave if I wanted to because it would be too expensive. This is a great country, but it is full of assholes and ignorance. I’m not going to throw in the towel and just leave it for those assholes.

Here is a little clarity to those who are getting their undies all bunched up because some wealthy athletes are protesting: First, the entire event is just a game. Entertaining for sure, but certainly not important as far as life goes. Second, these people are not disrespecting the flag (an object that represents something -not to be confused with actually being that something). They are simply showing their disappointment in the state of our country. The flag represents ideals that are not being met. Third, this is a free country. The flag does not give you that freedom. The law does. And fourth, if you don’t think this country has serious equality and discrimination problems, it is you that should shut up or ship out, not the people demanding justice. You are only making things worse with your twisted priorities, closet racism, and an unwillingness to evolve.

Hey Mr. White Person -a lot of your satisfaction and admiration for this country was built on oppression of other races. Instead of getting pissed off at someone’s form of protest why don’t you have some compassion and empathy to understand the reasons why? This isn’t about disrespect to the ideals this country was founded on or the military that has preserved this country. It’s about a dissatisfaction of those ideals not being met, the double standards, and the hostile segment of our population turning a blind eye and deaf ear.

I find it hypocritical that some of the most patriotic people in the U.S. are so offended by people exercising their right to free speech. Unfortunately the only way to have a platform in this country is to be famous. The NFL athletes have been exercising their rights on that platform to make a national plea to the problem of injustice and inequality in the United States. The strategy of those kneeling is certainly tacky, but let’s not forget that it is our society that gave these sports figures the ridiculous elevated platform in the first place.

Thanks for reading and thinking,

Murray A. Neill (A white person, honorably discharged Corporal of the U.S. Marine Corps, a hard-working, productive, working class citizen with a clean record, who votes, pays his taxes early, and flies a flag at home on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day)

]]>http://getoffourplanet.com/?feed=rss2&p=81990Observations From The Planet 10/4/17http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8247
http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8247#commentsWed, 04 Oct 2017 15:41:10 +0000Murrayhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8247Another Reason To Get Rid Of The Electoral College

There are about 5 million U.S. citizens in U.S. territories that cannot vote in a Presidential election. Why? Because when you vote in the U.S. you are not voting for a President, you are voting for electors. Territories do not have electors. One of many reasons to get rid of the Electoral College. Simply put, territorial citizens are not being given fair representation. That is one of the reasons for the Revolutionary War. If citizens in the original 13 colonies were given representation and treated like actual English citizens, we may still be a part of England. This is an obvious injustice for our territorial citizens, so why is nothing being done about it? Well, since they cannot vote why do anything for them? You think the citizens of hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico are happy about their government right now? Will it matter come election time?

This is just another example of U.S. citizens having an unfair distribution of voting power thanks to the Electoral College. An individual’s vote in states like California, for example, does not have the same pull as does a voter in a less populated state. How is that fair? Presidential elections should dissolve state, county, and district boundaries. One vote for one person, all equal. Otherwise you are not serving the will of the people and certainly discriminating. I don’t give a damn what state you are from. We are a nation of individuals.

]]>http://getoffourplanet.com/?feed=rss2&p=82470Peak Review: Conquering the Mummy Rangehttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8157
http://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8157#commentsSun, 01 Oct 2017 03:20:02 +0000Murrayhttp://getoffourplanet.com/?p=8157After a 19 year absence I finally completed reaching all the summits along the primary ridge of mountains in the Mummy Range of Rocky Mountain National Park. Having done Mummy Mountain (elevation 13,425-feet) and Hagues Peak (elevation 13,560-feet) in 1998, I always planned on returning to finish the other four, but I guess I never could make the commitment. This was an important 2017 goal for me, and as the summer was waning I was becoming desperate. It also turned into a vision quest of sorts, as I was long overdue a serious challenge to test myself, and also face nature completely alone. While I do not recommend doing any back country hiking by yourself, I felt that at this point in my life I needed that seclusion in the wilderness, risks and all, in a very challenging setting. The experience was completely amazing and the best medicine I could give myself. It also kicked my ass and was one of the hardest things I have ever done.

Mount Chapin (elevation 12,454-feet)

Mount Chiquita (elevation 13,069-feet)

Ypsilon Mountain (elevation 13,514-feet)

Fairchild Mountain (elevation 13,502-feet)

I had been checking the weather forecast all week and what was looking to be a perfect weekend started to deteriorate the closer it got. My options were pretty much running out and despite a 30% chance of afternoon storms I decided to go anyway. I figured if the weather was looking to turn for the worse I’d just have to stop where I was and turn back. Bagging some of the summits would be better than conquering all of them and then getting struck by lightning on top of the last one.

I entered the park on a Saturday night, mid-September. In order to get off all the summits by lunchtime and reduce weather dangers I would have to start at the first sign of light in the east. I was expecting to fork over the $20 entrance fee, but when I got to the fee station it was closed and a sign said to proceed. (I find it odd that they don’t have an automated pay station in 2017.) I proceeded to Old Fall River Road -a one-way dirt road that eventually connects up to Trail Ridge Road -the highest continually paved road in the United States. My starting point was the Chapin Creek Trailhead seven miles down the dirt road. It was pretty cool driving this narrow road in the dark. I kept hoping to see some kind of fantastic wildlife, such as a mountain lion, bobcat, or bear, but it was a whole lot of nothing, save for a brief flash above my windshield of maybe an owl. When I got to the trailhead there was only one vehicle there, with no one in it. I parked in a pullout and prepared for bed. The stars were incredible with no light pollution for miles. I slept in the passenger seat, fully reclined, wearing sweat pants and shirt, wool socks, stocking cap and a thick blanket. It took me a while to fall asleep, and once I did I still woke up frequently. You can only get marginally comfortable in a small truck. My body stayed warm all night but after 2am the air was very chilly and I wished I had brought my balaclava to cover my face. At 5:30am my watch alarm went off and I wasted no time getting ready. I scarfed down a cold breakfast burrito and a sugar free energy drink and hit the trail. It was 6am.

Heading into the dark

At the turn off to Chapin, Chiquita, and Ypsilon

The crisp air, beautiful sunrise, and isolation in the wilderness was invigorating.

Heading up the slope of Chapin with a view of 14,259-foot Longs Peak in the distance (which I summitted solo in 2000)

First view of the first three mountains

From Chapin's lower western summit at 12,392-feet

Almost there

I made it to the top of Chapin in about an hour. One down, three to go.

Next stop Mount Chiquita

A fairly easy hike up from the saddle

The Medicine Bow Mountains and the Rawah Wilderness to the northwest. My friend Anthony and I climbed three of the mountains in this range, including the range's high point of Clark Peak (elevation 12,951-feet) in the late '90s.

Chiquita. Another hour, another summit. Two down, two to go.

Looking at the morning fog down in the valley

On to Ypsilon

On top of Ypsilon. Aside from a few short breaks the first three mountains took about an hour each to summit. Due to the cold wind I had to put on my windbreaker and stocking cap.

One more to go. The long, considerably more difficult southwest ridge to Fairchild.

Looking back at the north side of Ypsilon

Staying on top of this ridge greatly increases the effort and time due to some technical climbing required in spots. Because of time restraints and not wanting to risk accident without a partner nearby I opted to skirt the side of the ridge just below, effectively keeping the difficulty a Class 2 boulder scramble.

Desolation Peaks to the west

It still took double the time compared to the other summits and considerably more exhausting work, but I finally made it to the top shortly before noon. It was very windy and what looked like snow clouds were forming to the west.

Excuse the poor view of Hagues and Mummy, but I was too tired to walk to the edge for a better framed shot and the weather seemed to be deteriorating quickly.

o No hiking trip is truly successful without completing the round trip. Unfortunately I made the mistake of coming down the south (right) side of the summit and had to circle back around to get closer to the ridge. Probably cost me an extra half hour. I don’t know what I was thinking, but the additional boulders I had to navigate really drained my energy. It sleeted briefly on the way down. I also raked my shin pretty good sliding between two boulders. I scolded myself severely saying out loud that such accidents were unacceptable out there by myself. Thankfully that was the extent of any injuries for the day.

I was very happy to get a clear photo of this pika. Their frequent chirps are very easy to hear in alpine terrain, but the small guys are often difficult to spot and they don't always stay this still.

Ugh. Exhausted but still had to make it back up to the point marked with the arrow. Once I got there the difficult terrain was behind me, but I still had a long walk back to my truck. All and all it took about eleven miles round trip and a 4,556-foot elevation gain (plus a loss of 2,100 feet hiking between mountains) in just under nine hours. My entire body felt beat up by the time I was finished. Out of roughly 125 mountain adventures this trek was easily in the top three of difficulty.

On the drive home through the park I spotted what I seriously thought looked like flames from a wildfire. Once I got closer it was obviously just the changing aspen. It had been a great day.

Reactionary, immature, egomaniacs. Representing the very worst in all of us.

We are all human. We all have angry, fearful, defensive, mean-spirited thoughts, but a mature person keeps them to themselves, for they do nothing to solve a problem, and only aggravate an already delicate situation.

This isn’t a game. As leaders you have a mandate to protect your people. Instead you are only stroking your egos,
and threatening the welfare and lives of millions of people, and the greater environment that we ALL call home.
Conflict will bring more collateral damage than strategic targets hit.

Anyone with real power or genuine leadership qualities doesn’t have to be loud, and certainly doesn’t engage in a fool’s game of insults and threats. While each may have their supporters, they amount to little more than a following of naive sheep, marching into oblivion.

The honorable path is a difficult one. It takes internal, not external strength. It takes wisdom, innovation, and patience. It is one of communication, open-mindedness, compassion, and determination.

Others have been accused of not doing enough, but that is an argument from someone who does not understand the complexity of the situation. This is not the Wild West, and there are far too many people now and a much more delicate environment than what existed in simpler times.

There is only one acceptable outcome, and it has nothing to do with military violence. This is a true test of our character as human beings. Are you a slave to your base, animal instincts? Or are you in control of your emotions, proof that our species has the intelligence and fortitude to evolve?

For those who cannot evolve will become extinct. It’s the one lesson history has proven time after time.